Floyd is a town in Floyd County, Virginia, United States. The population was 425 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Floyd County. The Town of Floyd was originally named Jacksonville as the surrounding county was formed during the tenure of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. The name was subsequently changed to Floyd for Virginia governor John Floyd.

History

The Floyd Historic District,

Floyd Presbyterian Church Floyd Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located on U.S. 221 in Floyd, Floyd County, Virginia. It was built in 1850, and is a one-story, three bay, brick church in the Greek Revival style. It has a front gable roof topped by ...

, Glenanna, Phlegar Farm, and Oakdale are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. File:Floyd, Va - Country Store.jpg, Floyd Country Store, the location of the "Friday Night Jamboree" of old-time string band and bluegrass music File:Floyd, Va - Hardware store.jpg, Hardware store at the main intersection

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²), all of it land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Floyd has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 432 people, 238 households, and 117 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 942.3 people per square mile (362.6/km²). There were 264 housing units at an average density of 575.9 per square mile (221.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 4.63%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.23%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.23%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.69% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.69% of the population. There were 238 households, out of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.8% were non-families. 49.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.82 and the average family size was 2.57. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.5% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 30.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,781, and the median income for a family was $40,938. Males had a median income of $27,232 versus $19,464 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $23,557. About 10.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Town of Floyd is becoming known as a regional destination for music, especially

bluegrass music Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ...

, and

old-time music Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination ...

. The Floyd Country Store's Friday Night Jamboree, which features local and area bands, has been held each Friday night for many years, gaining in popularity during the past decade. In fair weather, the indoor stage performances and dancing are joined by simultaneous banjo-and-fiddle-centered jam sessions in driveways and seating areas along South Locust Street. Local old time string band The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee won first prize at the 85th Annual Old Fiddlers' Convention held in Galax, Virginia. County Sales, a notable music distribution company founded by David Freeman focusing on old-time, bluegrass and related music, is located in the town. Floyd is also home to a large counter-culture movement. There are other musical venues and stages in the town, featuring many different styles of music. The Winter Sun, a complex in downtown Floyd, frequently hosts shows for bands. The National Music Festival, focused on classical music, hosted its first season in Floyd in 2011. Floyd is the location of Red Rooster Coffee.

Notable people

* Donna Polseno, visual artist known for pottery, ceramics, and sculpture * Curtis Turner, former

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver * Don Williams,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcherDon Williams Stats
Retrieved December 30, 2020. * Morgan Wade, singer

References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Floyd County, Virginia Towns in Virginia County seats in Virginia